Worcester Sharks rookie builds from rolling start

Thursday

Apr 18, 2013 at 6:00 AM

Matt Nieto is a roller hockey guy in a pond hockey world. The Sharks' rookie right wing grew up in Long Beach, Calif., where the rivers are dry for most of the year and even the puddles don't ice over in January.

By Bill Ballou TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Matt Nieto is a roller hockey guy in a pond hockey world.

The Sharks' rookie right wing grew up in Long Beach, Calif., where the rivers are dry for most of the year and even the puddles don't ice over in January.

So, Nieto was initially introduced to the game via roller hockey. With an ice rink not too far from his home, he graduated to the real thing as a youth player and has taken it to a point where he is one level from the National Hockey League.

“The transition wasn't that difficult,” Nieto said. “Adjusting to the offside rule was a little tough, but a lot of the skills are the same. For handling the puck, offensive skills, I think (roller hockey) was good.”

Nieto, 20, still has never skated on a pond, but he has skated outdoors.

“When I was 12,” he remembered, “we had tournament in Quebec. They had an outdoor rink, and I skated there. But a pond — no.”

Nine games into his AHL career, Nieto is a respectable 2-3-5. He did not get on the board Wednesday night, though, as the Sharks dropped their final home game of the season. They lost to Springfield, 4-3, with Eriah Hayes, Lane Scheidl and Daniil Tarasov scoring their goals.

Sharks director of scouting Tim Burke has seen plenty of California players through the years and says that growing up there has both its advantages and disadvantages.

“What's good about it,” Burke said, “is that there are fewer restrictions on the players. What I mean by that is that the coaches just let them play. It's a very natural way of learning the game. The problem with it is that, if you're a good player, then you're going to have to travel to find competition and it can be really expensive.

“The other thing about California players — they are either really skilled or tough as nails. There are no checkers coming out of California.”

Nieto was both a serious hockey player, and serious hockey fan, in Long Beach. He watched the ECHL IceDogs play and his favorite NHL team was the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, although Nieto eventually graduated to the Kings.

“I loved the Mighty Ducks movies,” he said.

As a high school sophomore, he traveled to Connecticut and enrolled at the Salisbury School. It was a long way from home, and at 14 years old, Nieto felt the distance.

“It was really hard at first,” he said. “I'd never been away from home and I really missed my family. Plus, it was an all-guys school and that felt a little strange, too.”

Nieto spent the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons playing for the U.S. National Teams, both the Under-18 squad and the Under-17 team. In both those seasons, Nieto was a key player as the Under-18 team won world championships. He was highly recruited by college programs and once again, it meant going east.

“I don't know of any college in California with varsity hockey,” Nieto said, “at least not Division 1 programs.”

There were plenty in New England, where he had played prep school hockey, however. Nieto focused on two Boston rivals, Boston University and Boston College.

“I visited both schools,” he said, “and I liked them both. Also, I really loved the city of Boston and wanted to play there. It came down to the two schools, and I went back and forth on it, but decided to go to BU.”

As a freshman with the Terriers, Nieto went a respectable 10-13-23 in 39 games. His learning curve was good as he picked up 13 points in the season's final 11 games. That summer, the Sharks drafted him in the second round, taking him 47th overall.

Nieto stayed at Boston University for two more seasons. Then, on April 1, he signed a pro contract with San Jose and was sent to Worcester to begin his career.

Wednesday night, Nieto had his best chances late in the game as the Sharks pressed for the tying goal. He, and they, were close a couple of times, but the game ended the same way the season is.

In disappointment.

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